Sheridan Days hoping to conjure up some magic

SHERIDAN — There promises to be some magic in the air during this year’s Sheridan Days festival celebration.

“We Believe in Magic” is the theme of this year’s festival, scheduled Thursday, June 11, through Sunday, June 14.

The theme was suggested by local resident Wendy Giddings, who earned a $100 cash prize for her submission. Students have chosen a theme in previous years, but when the participation level began to wane, Sheridan Days Committee member Wendy Bird invited community members to get involved in selecting a theme.

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She decided the 17th annual festival should naturally display a touch of magic. So she reached out to Mark Siegel, assistant headmaster at Sheridan’s Delphian School, who has performed magic professionally for many years.

The festival also features a Junior Parade, setting out from City Park at 6 p.m. Friday, and the Grand Parade, beginning at Faulconer-Chapman School at 6 p.m. Saturday. This year’s Grand Marshal is Kathie Byers, founder of the local youth program known as LINCS, who will be riding in a cherry red Ford Mustang driven by her husband, Nathan.

“I sort of know when something is coming down the pike,” Byers said, regarding her selection as Grand Marshal. of the Grand Parade. “This was a surprise. I’m excited. It’s a pretty big deal. I’m just honored.”

Byers grew up in Gaston. She transferred to Yamhill-Carlton High School as a junior and graduated there in 1986.

“I was going to go to law school,” she said. “I had big plans in the field of law. But then I started working with youth and I found my passion.”

Byers was working as a paralegal. She said she loved law research and helping clients solve their legal problems. However, she was pulled in another direction, the desire to go to college and pursue a profession other than law.

“I talked to some people I trust,” Byers said. “I said, ‘I feel like I need to go back to school.’ My mother and husband told me to go for it.”

With the support of her husband, to quit her job as a paralegal, Byers canceled her law school plans and put her focus on LINCS, a local nonprofit organization geared toward youth in Sheridan.

“Where I wanted to make a difference was working with youth and helping them achieve their greatest potential,” said Byers, who graduated from Linfield College.

LINCS sponsors Nite Court, a weekly sports activity session at Faulconer-Chapman School. Those who participate in the LINCS also bake and sell five types of Kathie’s Kookies. She was drawn to making Sheridan her home through LINCS.

“What I do gives me purpose,” Byers said. “I’ve lived here since 1996, longer than anywhere else I’ve ever lived. It didn’t take me long to fall in love with the people of Sheridan.”

If You Go

What: The 17th annual Sheridan Days festival, with the theme “We Believe in Magic,” submitted by Wendy Giddings.

Where: Throughout the Sheridan community, including Sheridan High School, K-8 Faulconer-Chapman School and City Park.